Controls on subduction reorganization in the Hellenic margin, eastern Mediterranean

In subduction modeling, interactions between the down‐going slab and neighboring plates are often neglected. Here, we have modeled the interactions between a subducting and an upper plate and show that, in such a system, subducting plate advance towards the stationary margin accommodates convergence...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters Vol. 37; no. 14
Main Authors: Capitanio, F. A., Zlotnik, S., Faccenna, C.
Format: Journal Article Publication
Language:English
Published: Washington, DC Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.07.2010
American Geophysical Union
John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Subjects:
74 Mechanics of deformable solids
74S Numerical methods
Anàlisi numèrica
Boundary conditions
Classificació AMS
Continental dynamics
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Geophysics
Hellenic
Lower mantle
Marine geology
Matemàtiques i estadística
Models, Teoria dels
Mètodes numèrics
Numerical methods and algorithms
Oceanography
Plate tectonics
subduction
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC
East Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
models
lower mantle
penetration
Thick plate
Modeling
Convergence
subduction
style
transient phenomena
tectonics
boundary conditions
slabs
trenches
ISSN:0094-8276, 1944-8007
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:In subduction modeling, interactions between the down‐going slab and neighboring plates are often neglected. Here, we have modeled the interactions between a subducting and an upper plate and show that, in such a system, subducting plate advance towards the stationary margin accommodates convergence. When interactions with the lower mantle are included in this system, deeper penetration of the slab allows transient increases in subduction rates and weakening in the upper plate. However this does not last long enough to mobilize the trench away from the upper plate. The constraints imposed by the convergence of major plates are more effective in reorganizing the tectonic style, by hampering, or even locking, the subducting plate motions resulting in sustained rollback and back‐arc opening over large time periods. A comparison with the tectonics of the Hellenic margin suggests that such boundary conditions might be the key to the reorganization of plate motions in this area.
Bibliography:ark:/67375/WNG-5C7W9PKN-X
istex:60899126D040BDAA295B3AE42B43F92586844057
ArticleID:2010GL044054
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 14
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1029/2010GL044054